A Thief's Kiss
by Seto's Darkness
Summary: Naruto is the phantom thief. Sasuke is an investigator determined to catch him, at all costs [SasuNaru AU]
1. Chapter Zero – The Prologue

**Warning : **cliché-ness O.o;; **shounen-ai**, implied **yaoi**, cursing (uhh, very mild), violence (since there's police involved), fluff at the weirdest places/times, sappiness and… yeah XD The things Naruto steals, along with the museums, etc are made-up… and it's a little weird that they're almost all found in Japan –sweatdrop-

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything XD

**Inspired By: **The FMA episode's title (The Phantom Thief)… the said FMA episode… Kaito Saint Tail (it's a very cute anime)… The Kaito Kid series in Detective Conan… Kaito Kid himself… and various fanfics like this in many different fandoms (sadly, the only one I can remember at the moment is kawaii-kirei's _Steal My Heart_)

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"Don't let him get away!"

Uchiha Sasuke's deep voice rings clearly across the museum, commanding the dimwits that dared to call themselves policemen (and such speeches about men of justice) to chase after their target. A Fabergé egg dating from 1903 was stolen in the Museum of Royalty in Tokyo, and they're now on their way on chasing after the thief.

_Darn it, _Sasuke thinks irately. If they're not able to catch the thief tonight, it will be the sixth time the phantom thief managed to escape his hands. The top security system is no match for the thief's careful planning and wits, it seemed.

_Darn, darn, darn,_ Sasuke curses mentally, passing by a shadowy corridor. He flicks the lights open, and he sees nothing out of ordinary. He runs at top-speed again, the air wheezing through his lungs in packets. _Where is he!_

He reaches the top floor of the museum, and when he opened the door, a strong gust of wind almost threw him down the stairs. _There,_ Sasuke's mind whispers, and he walks stealthily towards the thief.

It never ceased to amaze Sasuke that the thief looks so _fragile_, even though he's covered with an all-black leather attire. To others, leather hugging skin is more than enough for a turn-on, but to Sasuke, it only accentuates the thief's slimness and frail form. It irritates Sasuke, because at these times (when the only ones left are him and the thief) he _feels_ his earlier determination of putting the bastard behind bars leave him. It makes Sasuke _want _to _protect _the shorter teen, which is utterly preposterous inside his rational mind.

"Hi there, officer," The thief greets him, and the full moon seems so _huge _tonight. He walks towards the phantom, who's already leaning at the waist-high ledges on the edge of the floor. One push and the thief is going to plummet down to the solid ground, fifteen stories away.

"Surrender," Sasuke mumbles, and he is already three small steps away from the thief. They're both wearing black, and the light of the moon makes them stand out. Surprisingly, nobody else seems to have noticed them conversing on top of the museum. And oddly enough, nobody else seems to have detected their locations.

The thief turns around and faced the investigator, and Sasuke could only see the enchanting blue eyes, since everything else is covered up securely with black cloth. "Aren't you tired of chasing after me?" The question is playful, and Sasuke lets out a scathing snort. The handcuffs are already in Sasuke's gloved hands, and he reached out for the other's unresisting hands.

Then, something unexpected happened.

"Uchiha-san!" His minions yelled; hurried footsteps sounded from the set of stairs leading to the rooftop. The thief took his black-gloved hands away from Sasuke's, while the officer's hands hurried to catch them.

"I guess this is goodbye for now, _Uchiha-san_," The phantom thief says coyly, before placing his sought-after hands around Sasuke's neck. Before Sasuke knew it, the thief's mask over his lips is lowered down, and then, those lips were on his in an instant. He stood there, shocked, and the lips were gone, and those blue eyes winked at him playfully.

"See you next time," The thief said, before he jumped down the ledge, with Sasuke in too much shock to even be surprised at the sudden escape. He knows he should be worried about the thief's death, but he also knows that _he _won't die from this. He's far too clever to be hurt by jumping down fifteen stories, anyway.

"Sir, where is the phantom thief?" Another one of his mindless minions asked him, and he suppressed the urge to scream his head off. He merely pointed at the ledge, ignoring the gasps from his fellow policemen. He reported to the headquarters, and he left quickly for his apartment.

The entire time, a pleasant tingle runs across his lips. Sasuke can't help but wish that he could see the phantom thief again, soon, if only to smack him over the head for rudely stealing his first kiss.

Somewhere not too far away, a blond teen is carrying a briefcase where his leather outfit is neatly folded. He watches the police investigator, which he encountered yet again tonight, walk briskly towards his apartment complex. The blond hides in the shadows effectively, despite the bright color of his hair.

"Uchiha, huh?" The name feels pleasant in his lips, and he goes back to their _base_ where his friends (or, partners-in-crime) are waiting for him. He walks slowly, enjoying the full moon's light. He couldn't wait to tell Iruka. After all, it's _everybody's _dream to have their first kiss under a full moon.

* * *

**To Be Continued**

Well even though it's (predictably, given that I'm the one who wrote it) short, I hope you enjoyed it :) I'm rather happy with the plot, since it has lots of points for development and lots of trouble for Sasuke as well. Please support this fanfiction as well! I'm looking forward to comments and suggestions from you guys XD

**Flames are ignored. Reviews are more than welcome and are greatly appreciated.**


	2. Chapter One – The Ace of Hearts

**Warning : **cliché-ness O.o;; **shounen-ai**, implied **yaoi**, cursing (uhh, very mild), violence (since there's police involved), fluff at the weirdest places/times, sappiness and… yeah XD The things Naruto steals, along with the museums, etc are made-up… and it's a little weird that they're almost all found in Japan –sweatdrop-

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything XD

**Other authoress' notes** such as the inspiration sources are found in the prologue chapter. **Thank you **to everybody who read and reviewed! –hugs- This is my favorite story (along with _Daddy Sasuke_) so I hope that everybody would like this as well. I hope the positive responses (actually, any type of response/criticism is very welcome, as long as it's constructive) keep coming! I haven't written fanfiction in a long time, so I hope that the result of a long break is not very detrimental to the quality XD

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Ace of Hearts**

* * *

"Cards have been used in Europe for more than eight hundred years already," A voice intoned, the reader reading directly from the pieces of pure-white paper on his steady tanned hands.

Nara Shikamaru yawned widely (he doesn't even try to stifle it) at his classmate's report. The teacher frowned disapprovingly, but from experience, it doesn't deter the lazy teen from slacking off in class. Uzumaki Naruto, the reporter, didn't mind his friend's _loud _interference, and continued with his report.

"The four suits on the standard 52-card deck represent the four major social classes during the Middle Ages. Swords, now called _spades_, represent nobility. _Hearts_, which are formerly cups, represent the clergy. Coins, which are also called _diamonds_, represent the wealthy merchants. Staves, now called _clubs_, represent the poor peasants…"

The class silently listened to Naruto's report on their essay writing assignment. The teacher clapped formally, obligatorily as the blond's report finished, and the class joined their teacher rather belatedly. After pointing out the points for improvement, the teacher called upon another presenter.

Naruto walked calmly towards his seat, which is located far into the back of the class. He sat beside Shikamaru and the genius cracked one eye open and stared pointedly at him. He gave him a reassuring grin, and Shikamaru's eye snapped shut again, most probably to take another nap. Naruto smoothed out the slightly-crumpled edges of his report and read it over again.

"I've got an idea on how to do _it_, Shika," Naruto softly said after a few moments of reading. The person addressed mutters an urgent 'later' at his seatmate. The blue-eyed male passed his report to Shikamaru, and the lazy teen immediately understands.

**

* * *

**

"Uchiha-san, there's a package for you," Hyuuga Hinata said timidly, her pale hands shaky when she stretched to give the package to her superior. Sasuke took it from her without any other word, and she politely closed the door on her way out. Inside his private office, he placed the orange-wrapped package on his desk, while looking for any return address. He found none, and that caused a frown to appear on his handsome face.

There's a messily-scrawled "Uchiha-san" on one side, the handwriting reminded Sasuke of a primary student's penmanship. It ruled out his obsessive fanclub as the sender; since _his _worshippers usually send a package colored pink or red (don't forget the overdose of hearts and flowery designs) with matching perfumed paper-cards (that smell downright nauseating) and with calligraphic writing (usually flourished silver or gold).

He opened the surprisingly-light package with care (after all, if it's a bomb of some sort, he'd be in _big _trouble). His eyebrows shot up to his hairline in surprise at the contents of the paper box.

It's _his _picture. No, scratch that. It's _their _picture.

The picture was printed on some glossy paper and Sasuke flipped it hurriedly to the back, trying to see if he could find out from which shop it was printed, to no such luck. It seemed that it was printed at home.

Unbidden, a blush bloomed on his cheeks as he saw the picture again. It's the picture of his first kiss, undoubtedly stolen (as well) by the phantom thief. True, the kiss wasn't bad, but…

He carefully placed the picture to his top drawer, and was about to ask Hinata about _how _she got the package when something small fell down from the package.

It's a card.

It's the _ace of hearts_. The red heart in the middle of the white background taunted Sasuke's eyes, and he briefly pondered about the meaning of the _gift_, and he flipped it over, only to see the same messy handwriting.

"Still want to chase after me? See you tonight :)"

It's the first time the phantom thief actually sent out "warnings" beforehand, and Sasuke wasn't going to waste it. He's going to figure this out and finally end his unhealthy… _obsession_ with catching the thief.

His dark-colored eyes caught the small, handwritten text near the bottom.

"Bring me a picture of yours as well, okay?"

Sasuke managed to successfully hold back an enraged (and embarrassed) scream.

* * *

"I pity the man, dude," Inuzuka Kiba, resident dog-lover (ah, animal-lover, actually) pointed out to Naruto, who's contentedly reading (to everybody's surprise) a heavy and heaping file of papers held together in a ring file.

"Hmm?" Naruto's humming a sickly love song, the one that's currently topping the charts this week. Kiba thought of this as a bad sign, and quickly muttered his reason for pitying the prodigy police investigator.

"I mean, come on! You _kissed _him! That's more than enough for me to pity the guy," The leer didn't disappear on Kiba's face, as well as the taunting look on his coffee-colored eyes. To his (Ino, who's walking down the hall stopped on her tracks as well) additional surprise, Naruto didn't make any exclamations or protests against his teasing. He's _still _contentedly reading the big stack of files Shikamaru dumped to his lap earlier this afternoon.

"Eww, you're obsessed," Kiba remarked, standing up from his seat, then made his way to the hallway. Naruto didn't even notice.

He's busy reading the files Shikamaru researched for him, _all about Uchiha Sasuke_.

**

* * *

**

Even though the police were already stationed at the **Hearts and Aces Marketing Complex**, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something is not right. There's something here worth stealing; tonight, the place is holding a showcase of miniature castles inside the mall. The displays include the 100, 000 US Dollar Neuschwanstein Castle (copied from the castle located high above in the Bavarian mountains of Germany, and was originally built for King Louis II of Bavaria).

A cool, night breeze passed by, and it ruffled Sasuke's long raven-colored bangs. He focused on regulating his breathing, reminding himself to not feel so impatient, since the Phantom Thief didn't specify any time of his arrival tonight.

Somehow, Sasuke can't help think that the thief's clue is rather simple, for somebody so complex and cunning as him. It's unfitting to the investigator's mind, and Sasuke wondered (not for the first time today) if he interpreted the clues wrongly.

His only clue was the ace of hearts—that's why they're here on this marketing complex. Unless…

He vaguely remembered a chapter on one of his books, relating about the history of playing cards. Spades represented the noble clans, clubs represented the peasants, diamonds represented the merchants, and hearts represented the clergy…

_Clergy?_ Sasuke asked himself mentally, before he turned around and made his way towards Hatake Kakashi, his supervisor. If Sasuke's the picture of being uptight and serious, his supervisor's the image of casualness and laidback-ness.

"Yo, Sasuke," The silver-haired man's usual greeting was accompanied by patting the top of his spiky hair, to which he responded with a testy glare.

"Is there any_thing_ important on the churches around?" Sasuke asked bluntly, his tone gaining an edge of urgency. Kakashi thought about that one, carefully running through, mentally, over the lists of events today.

"There's this Italian priest that came to the church on Ichiban Street earlier this afternoon. _I _heard that he brought along his Holy Grail-like display that's rumored to have strong, miraculous powers—Hey, Sasuke, where are you going?" Kakashi called out to his prize student, as Sasuke sprinted down the road, his black slightly-large jacket's ends flapping behind him as he ran.

Kakashi could only bring forth his communicator closer to his lips, muttering his orders. Really, Sasuke could be so impulsive when it comes to this phantom thief.

* * *

He pushed open the extremely heavy church door, trying to make as little noise as he could. He successfully entered the dimly-lit church, with the moonlight streaming down the transparent glass windows (with a large cross on the middle) as the only source of lighting.

His shoes didn't make any sound as he slowly walked towards the altar, towards the dark figure that stood still in front of the huge cross, as though praying. _Or primarily baiting me, _He thought with a snarl. The phantom thief took that moment to swirl around, blue eyes looking so out-of-place and looking so _bright _against the black attire and the moonlight shining down on him.

Sasuke's feet took him closer to the thief—he's already on the last step before the altar. The phantom thief looked the same, but those azure-colored orbs contained a definite sparkle on them tonight. _He looks happy, _He observed slowly, eyes already watching for the thief's sudden movements.

"Did you bring me your picture?" The thief asked coyly, voice as silky and viscous as honey and milk. His eyes sparkled again; Sasuke realized that the thief's eyes are watching his every action as well.

The question's reply was a derisive snort. "As if," The investigator muttered sullenly, face showing a displeased expression—probably from the unpleasant experiences involving obsessive worshippers that continuously hounded him for pictures.

"That's too bad," Surprisingly, Sasuke noted that the thief's voice contained honest disappointment. _Weird_, He thought with a slight twinge on his throat. His back-up still hasn't arrived, and he wondered once more about the competence of the police squad here.

He wasn't given time to do that though, as the phantom's body leaned to the right, before his legs suddenly snapped towards the left direction, fooling Sasuke for a few seconds. Unluckily for the Uchiha prodigy though, those few seconds are all the thief needed for a mad dash for escape, the Holy Grail-like treasure tightly held on the thief's left hand.

Sasuke followed the thief as fast as he could, dashing towards the darkened corridors, climbing up the spiral staircases—

He arrived on the bell tower, the golden bell separating him and his target by a couple of meters. He couldn't see any escape routes for the thief, but he dragged his now-tired legs forward, further closing up the distance between them.

The moon isn't as full as it was the last time they met, but it's still large enough to provide ample lighting. He idly noticed that his target's suit looked a bit large tonight.

"I'm really disappointed that you didn't bring me any picture, you know," The phantom thief sounded depressed, before a mischievous sparkle arrived inside his blue eyes. With speed that Sasuke himself found impressive, his target's right hand already has a deck of cards.

"Bye-bye, Sasuke-_kun_," He playfully stated, jumping down the bell tower, right after his right hand unleashed the shower of cards upwards, blocking Sasuke's view.

With one arm blocking the cards from hitting him sharply on his face, the investigator gazed at the thief's way of escape—a small black parachute appeared, carrying the thief away from the crime scene.

He supposed he should be angry that the increasingly-popular Phantom Thief escaped his hands—for the _seventh_ time, but he doesn't feel any irritation or anger, just the boring dullness that crept inside his heart.

He noticed that all the cards that the thief used tonight are _hearts_. He knelt down on the brick-covered floor, one hand picking up one particular card, to which he felt some_thing_ from.

In response to his instincts, the card _did_ have a message scrawled on its back, the handwriting the same as the messy doodle on the package earlier today.

"_I'll go to Blue Ridge University (that's the school where you work part-time, right?) this Friday to see you again :)_"

He supposed he should be angry at not being able to catch the thief tonight, but—

He read the note again, before a giddy-looking smile flashes on his lips. He stared at the dark night, eagerly hoping for Friday to come by quickly.

_I can't wait to see him again.

* * *

_

**To Be Continued**

Please support this fanfiction as well! I'm looking forward to comments and suggestions from you guys XD I hope you like this installment, since Naru-chan is showing his side of obsession towards Sasu-chan :) I also accept suggestions, requests, and challenges :) Contact information is on my profile page.

**Flames are ignored. Reviews (and other forms of constructive criticism) are more than welcome and are greatly appreciated.**


	3. Chapter Two – The King of Diamonds

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Warnings: **SasuNaru. cliché-ness O.o;; **shounen-ai**, implied **yaoi**, mild cursing, violence (since there's police involved), fluff at the weirdest places/times, sappiness and… yeah XD This installment is short, but at least it's much longer than the previous update XD

**Credits: **Idea of someone kidnapping Naruto's/other's loved ones was from a Thief!Takao fanfic :) I forgot the name/author, but I _think_ I got influenced by that :) Though, of course, this would be different from that XD

**Authoress' Notes:**Sorry for the delay. Announcements at my profile page :) Thanks to everybody who email-ed, PM'd, IM'd me. More of the authoress' notes on the prologue :D

**Promotions: ****Please join the C2 for the OTP in Naruto: SasuNaru and NaruSasu: **_SasuNaru Shounen ai and Yaoi Heaven_. Please join _my_ forum for Filipino yaoi-shounen-ai enthusiasts. Links are **on my profile**.

* * *

It was very strange, Naruto decided, as he looked down on his bare hands, and on his clothes. He didn't go out without wearing his thief-costume anymore, and yet, here he was, standing in the middle of a park, wearing clothes that he normally wore when he was still _free_.

When he still wasn't the infamous Phantom Thief.

He shook his head, letting his golden bangs sway with the motion. There was no use of longing for the normalcy that he once had. That _they_ once had. Ever since Orochimaru came into their lives, he was forced to become a sneaky shadow, a dark thief—

Naruto suddenly whirled into motion, as soon as he heard a set of footsteps arrive. He readied himself to run. He turned around quickly, and he found himself face to face with the famous prodigy detective.

Uchiha Sasuke.

Ever since Orochimaru came into their lives, he was forced to become a Phantom Thief, but he met Sasuke in the process.

…And since when did Detective Uchiha-san become Sasuke, anyway?

"Sasuke…" The blond mumbled, stepping back slightly. The sky was clear and numerous stars winked down at them. Naruto averted his eyes away from the detective's figure, only for him to see the full moon that illuminated the park.

Full moon…

It was a full moon when Naruto kissed his chaser.

Naruto longed for his costume—at least, it would mask the pink blush that colored his cheeks at the thought.

"…Naruto…" Sasuke uttered, stretching a pale hand towards him. Blue eyes widened in shock and happiness. The detective called him by his name! …Wait, _how_ did he know his name?!!

"You…" Naruto took another step back. How the hell did the detective know his name?!! He wasn't supposed to! He was supposed to chase and chase, but he wasn't supposed to catch Naruto! Not _yet_!

The blond's mind was rushing with thoughts of how to deny the name, on how to run, on how to make excuses, on how to escape. Yet, his lips parted, unbidden, and formed words that Naruto himself was surprised to say.

"Sasuke, I've fallen in love with you!"

* * *

**A Thief's Kiss**

**Chapter Two - King of Diamonds**

* * *

"…You still remember why we're doing this, right?" Shikamaru patiently asked the blond that was seated on the bed.

"Of course I do!" The blond sullenly retorted, with hands fisted on his blanket-covered lap. Naruto's head was bowed down, and his shoulders were shaking. The genius strategist had no doubt that Naruto was vividly recalling their reason for these crimes.

Shikamaru sighed. "…Then you know that just a little more, and then it's done, right?" The man known for his laziness moved away from his position near the bedroom door, and offered a comforting pat on the blond's shoulder.

"…I know that…" Naruto mumbled, with shoulders continuing to shake uncontrollably—at anger towards Orochimaru and the anguish of what happened to his loved ones.

"…I know that…" Naruto repeated, glaring at his fisted hands determinedly.

The comforting hand suddenly turned into a serious grip. Shikamaru gave their phantom thief a cool stare. "…You can't get distracted," He warned the blond, not pulling his hand away.

The bowed head lifted up and met Shikamaru's stare evenly. There were no traces of the high school-dead last inside those azure eyes. There were only determination and a hint of guilt.

"I won't," Naruto said strongly, shrugging Shikamaru's hand off.

The older male couldn't help but let out a derisive snort and shot Naruto a reprimanding glare. "Then who was the one shouting 'Sasuke, I've fallen in love with you!' in their sleep?" Shikamaru questioned with his wiseass voice.

Though Naruto kept his head turned, the strategist could still see that even Naruto's ears turned red.

"…Ah? No denial?" Shikamaru asked wisely. Naruto stayed silent.

"So, you've really fallen—"

And that was all Shikamaru was able to say, since his face was met with a barrage of pillows that Naruto threw, just to shut him up.

* * *

"So, was the Phantom Thief really at the church?" Kakashi asked his colleague brightly, though he looked like he wasn't really interested with the answer.

Sasuke suppressed the urge to pour his coffee on the perverted pocketbook Kakashi was currently engrossed with. As soon as the thought arrived, however, Sasuke suddenly felt that the book wasn't worth his caffeine supply for the morning.

"Yes, he was," The young detective answered stiffly, still sore about the fact that the thief escaped… _again_.

"…Oh?" Kakashi sounded genuinely interested. Sasuke frowned at him. The silver-haired man seemed awfully enthusiastic when it's about his failures, or his personal life. It must be Kakashi's idea of revenge, since Sasuke always gives him tons of work.

"Then it's good that our Sasuke-chan can read the thief's mind!" Kakashi exclaimed in a cheery voice, seemingly oblivious to the death glare that the younger male shot him.

If there was something about Kakashi that Sasuke hated most, it wasn't his constant lateness, nor his unwavering perverted-ness, nor his irritating laziness. It was the annoying-as-hell-not-to-mention-reputation-degrading nicknames that Kakashi seemed fond of.

"Stop the Sasuke-chan!" The younger detective snapped.

Kakashi actually paused. Before he launched another attack at Sasuke. "Sooo, did you and the phantom thief walk down the aisle?" The silver-haired man asked enthusiastically, and without waiting for an answer, continued on with his tirade. "Aah, Sasuke-chan just got married with the phantom thief! Oh, the exciting tale of forbidden love! Oh—"

"Shut up." Sasuke icily commanded. Kakashi stopped. But that's because he knew that Sasuke was really serious now.

"It really is forbidden, Sasuke," Kakashi solemnly informed him.

And then, he said a set of words that he regretted using, but he knew he should say anyway. "Focus on surpassing Itachi, for the moment. And that means catching the phantom thief."

The glare that Sasuke sent him could have melted diamond. "I know."

Kakashi watched Sasuke angrily storm out of his private office.

"It really is an exciting tale of forbidden love…"

* * *

"Ehh? Are you a new student?" An annoying female asked him in a flirtatious voice, while she hooked an arm gently around Sasuke's elbow. The Uchiha shot her an irritated look, but she seemed oblivious with his displeasure.

Sasuke strongly held back the urge to roll his eyes, _and_ to punch this girl. He mentally congratulated himself for accomplishing such a feat, as he made his way towards his seat. Getting in the Blue Ridge University and being a registered student wasn't as difficult as he predicted. However, he seemed to have forgotten that college had packs of irritating mindless bimbos that did nothing but try to shove their disinteresting, feminine bodies at him.

…Did he just say feminine bodies were disinteresting?

Sasuke frowned. Oh well.

A kind-looking teacher entered the room, smiling warmly at the students assembled in her class. She was introducing a transfer student, Sai, to everyone, while at least half of the class' population drooled.

The young Uchiha scrutinized Sai's appearance. His first thought was that this is the phantom thief, but then the idea was discarded immediately. After all, he trusted that the phantom thief wouldn't be this easy to find.

And, Sasuke mentally added, this Sai didn't cause him the tingling feeling that he got whenever he saw the Phantom Thief.

* * *

He was walking down the crowded hallway and dodging various girls' hands efficiently, when he suddenly saw a pair of ocean-blue eyes. Sasuke's heart skipped a beat, while his mind screamed at him to move, quickly, and chase the guy. _Blue eyes, blue eyes…! The thief has blue eyes!_

He could barely see the person's golden hair from this distance, but Sasuke had no qualms about pushing people aside hurriedly. He ignored the various shrieks of 'Hey!' and 'Ouch!', while his legs ran forward.

He was getting closer, and closer, and closer—

He stretched out a pale hand, and steadfastly grabbed the thief's arm.

It was soft and… pale?

Sasuke stared at the person he caught.

…A girl?

"…You…" Sasuke stared quizzically at the blonde girl with blue eyes.

It wasn't the same blue eyes, Sasuke realized.

He pulled his arm hastily back.

"Yes?" The girl asked brightly. Her smile was radiant, innocent, too innocent, but it seemed… _fake_. "Wow, you're cute! Are you here to ask me out? I'm Yamanaka Ino, and—" She continued to babble on cheerily, while Sasuke's lips thinned into a mechanical smile.

"…I'm sorry." The detective bowed down respectfully and inched away from her.

Ino waited until Sasuke was far away from her before she sighed tiredly and ran a hand through her platinum blonde hair. "Damn, he knows Naruto better than we thought…"

* * *

As soon as his 'classes' ended, Sasuke made his way to inspect every single room in the university. He had to admit that he was feeling excited that he would get another opportunity to see… uh, catch the phantom thief.

"I'll catch him this time for sure…" The raven-haired male muttered below his breath, eyes darting around to pinpoint the thief's whereabouts. He was a bit mad about mistaking that lanky girl earlier for the phantom thief, but he was determined not to make the same mistake—any sort of mistake—again.

His footsteps were hard and crisp, as he hurriedly checked room after room, mentally taking tally of the places he inspected. His ears were also ready to pick up any sound, but all he could hear at the moment were his thoughts, his own footsteps and the hum of his controlled breathing.

He was deep into his thoughts, and he didn't hear the set of footsteps that came –impossible! How could he _not_ hear a set of footsteps? Or maybe the other was just stealthy?!- and he crashed solidly into the other.

"Oww! That hurt!" The other whined loudly, while Sasuke simply groaned in pain. Damn it, he crashed against somebody? What's wrong with him?! Maybe he should stop thinking about the phantom thief that deeply—it only caused him accidents.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke automatically apologized, not because he was actually sorry, but because he couldn't really show his uncaring personality that freely here.

"Ah, it's…" Here, the blond Sasuke crashed into paused abruptly. "It's okay…"

"I'm sorry," Sasuke repeated, before his mind finally caught up with him. He stared into the other's blue, _blue_ eyes.

The blue-eyed blond shifted uneasily beneath his dark stare. "Anou sa, I should get going…"

There was that feeling, that tingling feeling, again, and Sasuke felt the sensation of butterflies fluttering against his skin. Is he the one, Sasuke asked himself, and before he knew it, before the other could get away, his hand stretched out and held a tanned arm in an unyielding grip.

"H-Hey!" The blond exclaimed, tugging harshly back. "What's the big deal?!" Sasuke noticed that those blue eyes were averted from him.

Sasuke's other hand gripped the other arm tightly. The hallway was dark, and it was getting late. Sasuke could actually hear his heart pounding, his thoughts echoing in the vacant corridor. Even in the mild darkness, the other's fascinating blue eyes still shone. Sasuke gripped the other's arms tighter.

"You," Sasuke breathed out, leaning close to invade the blond's personal space, "Have we met before?"

There was a dangerous glitter inside Sasuke's eyes. The blond tried to pull his arms away again, to no avail.

Sasuke leaned closer, until his breath was warming the other's face. The blond visibly froze at his proximity.

"Are you the Phantom Thief?" Sasuke questioned darkly, his voice silkily weaving around the two of them, with their arms growing numb with the pressure they were applying.

The shorter man sighed deeply, and his shoulders sagged. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He was correct? Well, he had a strong hunch, but that was only basing on the eye color. But if this is the phantom thief…

"I'm not," The blond said shortly, before successfully surprising the Uchiha and pulling his arms away. Sasuke gritted his teeth. Escaping, huh?

In a burst of motion and energy, Sasuke held out his hand again, and tugged desperately back. Even Sasuke was surprised with the strength he applied, and he became off-balance, but he didn't relinquish his hold on the suspect.

The blond fell against Sasuke's body with a loud 'Oww, let me go, bastard!', while one tanned arm flailed around desperately as they bough sought to regain their balance, and the control the situation. Well, Sasuke was still in a state of shock, while the blond wasn't the most un-clumsy person around, so the flailing arm actually caused more harm than good.

As soon as Sasuke regained control of his footing, the other's hand hit the back of his neck –_hard_- and pushed him forward.

Forward? But collapsing forward meant…

And so, Sasuke lost that momentarily-gained balance, and fell forward, as his mind could only watch, horrified, at the dazed motion that the two stumbled into. The Uchiha wanted to squeeze his eyes shut as he fell towards the other's face, but if this was really the phantom thief…

Sasuke ignored his rational mind and Kakashi's statement from the day before.

And he let himself fall forward, without trying to fight what's going to inevitably happen next.

_This time, he was the one that initiated their second kiss._

* * *

**To Be Continued**

…Erm, hello? Hahaha. Sorry for this chapter's shortness (well, this is an on-the-spot-writing, after all) and for the extremely late updates –dodges random projectiles- I've been working hard on my GPA so yeah… not much time left for fanfic-writing :l Sorry, sorry. But I promise to not abandon my fics:)

Please do check out my profile/my LJ for more updates:D

**Fangirling: **So what if I'm a SasuNaru supporter? Sasuke-after-timeskip, MARRY ME!!! LOL

**Please review :)**


	4. Chapter Three – The Two of Hearts

**Disclaimer**:I don't own anything.  
**Warnings**:Full list on the first chapter :DUnbetaed yet again :p But I really wanted to post this ASAP.  
**Notes**:I'm continuing my updating spree :D The plot is about to get deeper, so I hope everyone is still reading this! I hope that my writing conveyed clearly their actions, but in case it was a bit hard to understand, please don't hesitate to ask me for clarification! :) The story's plot has been revised and finalized, so there'll be roughly 6 chapters to go! :D And, and! Longer chapter now, whoo!  
**EDIT: **Okay, I edited some stuff. Haha. I really should stop writing while half-asleep 8D

* * *

Each person has his own reasons for doing what he does, for feeling what he feels, for choosing the path he takes.

A thief part of an organization of people with a similar fate to his own—manipulated by a more sinister force, doing things loathed by society, yet having only the most righteous intentions in his mind.

A detective part of an organization of people with a far different situation to his own—controlled by the one person he least expects, doing things for the betterment of society, yet having only the darkest mysteries surrounding his intentions.

The two of them couldn't be any more different from each other, yet this chase continues, as though the two of them don't even _want_ it to end, as though they are pulling at each other, urging to catch, encouraging to chase.

But as dissimilar they might seem to be, there are some similarities scattered here and there, dully glimmering, unnoticed.

Though at this moment, there is a similarity that cannot be ignored.

—_Their lips are meeting in their second embrace._

* * *

**A Thief's Kiss**

Chapter Three – The Two of Hearts

* * *

"SHIT, THAT HURT!"

The blond exclaimed and his face contorted into a painful grimace as his back laid flat against the unforgiving floor. Sasuke's added weight didn't help the situation; it only made things worse. Actually, Sasuke's presence instantly made things worse, especially with the way he fell to the stranger in front of him—lips mashed together in a bruising manner.

Sasuke mentally swore when he tasted a metallic-copper taste; it seemed that his teeth knocked unto his lips, splitting his skin open.

After deciding that no, the floor seems really uncomfortable, Sasuke made a move to sit up, stand up, anything to get away from this awkward situation. He kept his eyes wide open, since the darkening sky didn't offer much illumination, and his gut feeling still screamed at him that this person _is_ the Phantom Thief that has eluded the police force for quite some time.

Sasuke started to move away by putting his palms on the floor, intending to support his weight. It seemed that the fall really impaired his judgment—something that Sasuke found out when the other male _shriek_ed—no thanks to hard grip Sasuke wrongfully placed on the other's tanned arms.

"Sorry," Sasuke muttered noncommittally, glaring icily at the person who just shattered his eardrums within a split-second.

"Get off me," The other almost-whined, and thank goodness it was rather dark, because Sasuke could really do without seeing a pouting face.

Still, pouting or not, Sasuke felt that he should defend his actions, "I was about to get the hell away from you," and here, Sasuke fixed the male beneath him with a distasteful glance, "if only you didn't _shriek_ like a frightened little girl."

He felt, rather than heard, the blond huffing from beneath him. "Well I'm sorry that a girl's scream stopped your movements, mister, please feel free to continue, but please do so without, I dunno, crushing my arms?"

"A shriek is _different_ from a scream," Sasuke said smoothly, before getting up without any more trouble, voice not wavering even though he felt that the blush was still present in his face. "I felt my brain cells committing suicide with that high-pitch attack."

"It wasn't high-pitched," The other protested, ignoring the outstretched hand Sasuke so graciously offered, getting up and carefully dusting his clothes. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow in response; the other deflated slightly. "Fine, it wasn't _that_ high-pitched."

They were both blushing, Sasuke noticed, because his eyes are really good and he can see a lot of things. The two of them looked resolute in ignoring the kiss –though whether it could really called a kiss is still debatable, because surely, kisses don't involve busting one's lip because of a clumsy fall? It was just—

"It was just an accident—and," Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto simultaneously blurted out, prompting their slowly-disappearing blushes to return full-force.

Sasuke supposed that it was a moment when he should feel a sliver of relief as they both regarded the unpleasant incident as an accident, but the situation felt too awkward and vulnerable and if this person really _is_ the Phantom Thief, then would that mean that they kissed twice already and god why did he have to go kissing around his target?!

"Are you the Phantom Thief—"

"I already said I'm not, annoying bastard—"

Their words mixed and molded into each other, but the cacophony of meanings and intentions were suddenly pierced through by the shrill ringing of their phones.

"Shit," Sasuke swore, this time aloud, as he seemed to have accidentally pressed the loudspeaker button. Naruto neglected his phone and curiously watched the Uchiha, all the while stepping slowly backwards.

Kakashi's irritatingly-happy voice filled the silence of the corridor, "Sasuke-chan, I need you back here now…!"

Naruto's slow steps increased their pace, and Sasuke managed to find the 'end call' button, while briskly walking towards the escaping blond.

"I'm still not through with you," Sasuke snarled, his eyes observing the hallway in front of him, alert for any sudden movements his latest suspect might make.

Naruto laughed, sounding carefree, "Ah? Still want to kiss me some more?"

Sasuke sputtered, indignant and horrified. "That wasn't a kiss!"

"Then you can kiss me properly next time, Uchiha Sasuke-kun."

The police officer-detective gritted his teeth, as Naruto broke into a full-pledged run. "How the fuck did you know my name?"

The suspected-thief laughed that brilliant, charming laugh again. Sasuke felt his heart stop along with his feet—though the reasons were probably different. Naruto stopped moving in front of a large window. The blond probably planned to escape from the window, but they were five floors up—

The blond smiled brightly and tossed something at Sasuke. The Uchiha reflexively caught it, knowing that it was his I.D. from the texture and the weight against his palm. The other must have gotten it from him while he was shrieking—a good distraction, Sasuke must admit.

The detective put his left hand in his pocket, finding the card inside. Two seconds later, "You're Uzumaki Naruto," Sasuke said with a smirk, gauging the reaction of the person he was pursuing.

"That's my fake name," Naruto said, still with that brilliant smile, but Sasuke caught the slight twitch of those pink, slightly-bruised lips. "But wow, reading with your fingertips?" Naruto commented with unconcealed awe.

"No, dumbass, I read your uniform tag."

Naruto's blue eyes widened, and he looked down in surprise. "My uniform tag?! But I thought we don't have—"

Sasuke almost grinned, as he took out the I.D. belonging to his suspect, throwing it with deadly accuracy towards the dumbfounded blond. It would have nailed Naruto on his forehead, but the blond was agile, and was already dashing away from his pursuer.

"That was nice," Naruto remarked, sounding slightly out of breath. He leaned heavily against the lockers, the metal protesting noisily against the sudden action. Sasuke was also starting to pant; they ran from the fifth floor all the way down to the second floor, across all the classrooms.

"Only a dead-last like you wouldn't know what his own clothes look like," Sasuke retorted, feeling his hands grow clammy with sweat. His phone was ringing that annoyingly-loud ringtone again, vibrating periodically against his breast pocket, and he made a mental note to kill Kakashi with his necktie later for meddling with his cellphone.

"Well sorry for not looking at the mirror too much," Naruto said, not sounding sorry at the slightest.

It's even darker now, but Sasuke didn't want this chase to end yet, knowing that he had to report back to the headquarters. He willed his heartbeat to slow down. There was something heavy on his right-hand pocket, but he knew that at this moment, any wrong movement could end this thrilling _challenge_.

"Somebody else prepares clothes for you, then," Sasuke guessed, but his guesses never sound like one; instead, they sound as though it was a fact recognized by every single person on earth.

"How did you—"

Sasuke allowed himself to grin this time, because _really now_? "You're not very good at hiding secrets, are you, Phantom Thief?"

"First you tell me that you want to kiss me some more and now you say I'm honest? Please keep the compliments coming, Sasuke-kun."

"I didn't say those… _things_," The emphasis on 'things' made it seem as though the word itself was vile and filthy. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as they strived to provide himself with pinpoint-accurate vision in the midst of shadowy darkness.

"Subtext?" Naruto asked casually, and Sasuke wondered if the thief was always this painful, this annoying, and when did the two of them switch into this bantering as though it was normal anyway?

"Lots of flirty subtext," The blond furthered, and Sasuke saw the way those blue eyes sparkled mischievously, the way those eyebrows wiggled suggestively, exaggeratedly. Sasuke could feel his eyes hurting from abuse, but it was almost instinct, to use them to their full capability, to see every minute detail, even in darkness.

"You're the one flirting with me," Sasuke amended, taking a subtle step forward, feeling that heavy weight against his pocket yet again. He wondered what object was that, but he couldn't afford to focus less than a hundred percent of his concentration to the Phantom Thief. Of course there was no real proof yet, but Naruto seemed to have tired of trying to deny the accusation, anyway.

Naruto shifted into a thinking pose. "Well, what do you know. Maybe I am."

"Admitting that you're flirting kills the purpose," Sasuke argued, his mind busying itself with a countdown, his eyes trying their hardest to pinpoint the weakest area, his brain formulating the best way to capture this thief.

"I skipped the class for Flirting 101, _oh-so-knowledgeable one_."

Sasuke's countdown stopped and collapsed when Naruto moved—a flash of movement, way too fast, even for his valued eyes, but Sasuke saw those blue irises, those slightly-darker whisker-marks, and he immediately stretched his hands, ready to grab unto Naruto and drag him to the police station.

Instead of going for the expected left side, where the stairs going towards the ground floor are located, Naruto ran straight into Sasuke, before taking a step back and twisting in his heels to charge to the right side, effectively losing Sasuke's momentum in trying to catch him.

"To the windows?!" _But there's only one floor left and what's the point of jumping out—_

Sasuke's mental processes –his logic and his reasoning- all ground to a halt when Naruto called out, amidst the sounds of splintering glass, labored breaths and disbelieving gasps.

"I got accelerated to Flirting 404."

* * *

"I'm sick," Sasuke called out, placing an additional lock on his office door.

Kakashi's incessant knocks paused, as the silver-haired man called out, his cheerful voice going across the wooden door quite efficiently. "The only thing that's hurt is your ego, Sasuke-chan."

"Go to hell."

"Oh, silly me. It was your poor sensitive feelings that got bruised."

"I'm _busy_," Sasuke ground out, before securing another lock. After the humiliating incident this early evening, Sasuke wasted no time going back to the headquarters, intent on researching 'Uzumaki Naruto', whether it was a fake name or not.

His laptop made a beeping sound—indicative of a finished search on all of the case files available in all the international police records databases in the whole world. "Good night Kakashi," Sasuke intoned in a voice that allowed no arguments.

The younger detective made his way back to his desk, his neglected and unused gun placed atop his file folders, without even deigning to listen to Kakashi's returned sentiments for 'good luck' on his investigation. When Sasuke sat down on his plush leather chair, he was expecting loads of pages yielding the name 'Uzumaki Naruto' –birth certificates, enrollment records, high school report cards, local news clippings- but he was greeted with only one information page for his search entry.

He warily clicked on the one link, and he felt his blood run cold at the sight of the information that was presented to him.

It was an old news article, dated roughly five years ago.

And there, highlighted in red, standing out against the sea of black and white, was the search term, 'Uzumaki Naruto'.

_List of Casualties: Terrorist Bombing of Konoha Metropolitan Museum._

* * *

"You revealed your name?!" Ino exclaimed loudly, her thin figure shaking in a mixture of disbelief, anger and terror.

"Were you even thinking, you idiot?" Shikamaru was panicking too, but his composure was better than the others in the room.

Shino rarely spoke, so this moment was truly an important one, for him to consider voicing out his thoughts about the matter. "We don't have enough time, Naruto-kun. Our time is almost up."

The sound of a door opening and closing broke the tense silence that settled after the brief argument. Chouji walked away from that room and went for the sofa seat beside Shikamaru. "Don't be too noisy. Haku is already resting."

"We can't screw this even more now. Haku's body is giving up already. I'm sure that the _others_—"

Shikamaru whacked Kiba on the head—_hard_. Nobody mentioned the 'others'. It was a sort-of unspoken rule in their hideout. Nobody would mention about the friends, the family members, the life they have forcibly left behind. They would finish this _requirement_ from that bastard Orochimaru, then _he_ would free them all from this curse. Mentioning their important people would only make them careless, would sway their concentration, would taint their dedication.

"I was thinking of making him work for us," Naruto defended himself, but Shikamaru's observant eyes saw the way the blond's chest heaved slightly faster, the way his hands occasionally drummed against his thigh, the way his blue eyes shifted away from the room Haku was in. It was a lie, Shikamaru knew, because Naruto just didn't _do_ planning ahead and scheming. He was the type to throw himself wholeheartedly on everything he does.

Apparently, it even included fucking up their mission from Orochimaru.

"There's only six left. We've already got the first seven. We can't _fail_ now." Shikamaru didn't mention the time limit, Haku's failing health, Tsunade-san's botched attempts at synthesizing a cure. He didn't need to—because those were the thoughts that haunted each one of them, every moment of the day.

"You were supposed to _deny_ the police's accusations," Ino started again, slightly-chipped fingers pointing at the slouched blond, "Not admit it and say your name as well!" She took a deep breath, before continuing, "Just because you don't have anyone—"

This time, Shikamaru whacked Ino on her arm—_hard_. The genius strategist of their team easily ignored Ino's affronted look and cleared his throat to announce their revised game plan. "We can't let this stop us. We'll build on Naruto's very _brilliant_ plan today."

Naruto looked surprised, before a look of comprehension dawned on his boyish face. "Shika, I—"

"You're going to continue seducing him, Naruto."

"But, I can't—"

Shikamaru plowed on, because Naruto did an irresponsible thing and this was the only way they could take to avoid Orochimaru from knowing that they somehow contacted with the police and still accomplish their mission. "And you're going to do it while we do a heist. It will seem like you're just the decoy from the real Phantom Thief and he will either be out of the picture for a while or he will be in our hands."

"I can't do that to him, Shika!"

Another tense silence, but even Naruto knew that there was no use protesting against this. Shikamaru didn't have any choice. They all didn't have a choice.

_I'm sorry, Sasuke._

"It's the only plan that will work—both short-term and long-term."

This time, there were no objections.

* * *

"Why did you call me out here?"

—_Our mission objective is to get the 'Butterfly's Landing' painting from the ongoing art exhibit at the Hearthrange Museum at 2__nd__ Street._

"I kinda missed you, Sasuke-kun."

—_We will use Formation Alpha-5. All commands will be from Shikamaru. Set your communicators at wavelength set E9._

"You're not even trying to pretend that's not complete bullshit, huh…?"

—_Operation will commence at 21:30 hours. Allotted time is 1 hour._

"Oh come on now, you don't have faith in your pretty face?"

—_Team A will handle the security and keeping them away from the area around the target._

"It seems that you have practiced hard on how to lie."

—_Team B will back-up the Phantom Thief and assist on the transport of the painting away from the scene._

"Yet, you still followed me here."

—_Team C will be on the ventilation vent to administer the sleeping gas. We will need approximately thirty minutes to set-up the apparatus._

"I can get valuable evidence while playing along. See what happened last time?"

—_The map of the city roads and sewage systems are here. I trust that you have memorized them already._

"Now that you brought up 'last time'… I'm interested in continuing that."

—_The rendezvous point will be the underground sewage system beneath the Republic Plaza Mall. It is five minutes away from the Hearthrange Museum._

"_Dobe_. You _really_ skipped Flirting 101."

—_Team C and Team B will rendezvous first, but will monitor Team A's evidence clean-up. Team A is expected to arrive at the rendezvous point by 23:00 hours._

"You don't have to sound so, so, _smug_ about it, you arrogant bastard."

—_For this heist, we will not send out the warning messages that we usually send. This mission relies heavily on stealth and accuracy. Everything must be executed according to the allotted time-frame._

"Well, for your information, flirting does not include insulting me, Phantom Thief."

—_The second mission's objective is to remove the threat of Uchiha Sasuke to our mission. _

"I am not the Phantom Thief."

— _Team D, that's you, Naruto, will meet up with Uchiha Sasuke at 21:15 hours._

"Our last encounter begs to differ."

— _Lead your target away from Mission 1's area coverage and towards the alley marked in the map provided to you._

"And why do you say that?"

—_Team A, B and C will arrive at the second rendezvous point to collect Team D and the second target._

"Because if I were the Phantom Thief, then who's the one doing the heist at the Hearthrange Museum?"

—_For Team D, you only have to do one thing. You have to disable Uchiha Sasuke from participating in the investigation for this heist. _

"What—"

— _Seduction is the primary method of choice, but if you fail to seduce him, use Tsunade's prepared solution._

"…I'm sorry, Sasuke."

* * *

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," He said silently, hands securing the fit of his Phantom Thief costume, eyes focused on the prone form of the police officer he drugged with Tsunade's solution.

"You don't seem very sorry though," A voice suddenly commented from behind him, and Naruto whirled around quickly, heart pounding steadily against his chest. He didn't sense the other at all, no sounds of footsteps falling, no sounds of even the whisper of breathing.

The alley assigned for his mission's execution was dark but not dirty, and if it wasn't for the passing bus with brightly-lit neon-signs, Naruto wouldn't have enough light to figure out the appearance of the sudden intruder.

And that brief moment of light was all it needed for Naruto to recognize the face of the person who appeared so suddenly before him.

Naruto felt his throat constrict. He even darted a quick look of confirmation at the person bundled beside him. His captive was still there, out cold. But then, who is this person who stood before him? The blond was overcome with feelings of bewilderment.

So much confusion, and all he could utter was:

"You look… just like Sasuke."

* * *

**To Be Continued**

Erm, this is a very interesting chapter for me to write; I was grinning while writing their interaction, with the fake IDs and their chase :D I hope you guys enjoyed it too! Please let me know your thoughts in reviews? PMs? Hehe :D

And. Uhh, I hope the dialogue was okay? (I'm nervous about humor and dialogue, sorry)

Pimping:I updated my other fics too! LOL And, and, I can't wait for the anime, _**Kuroshitsuji**_, because it is made of HOTNESS AND AWESOME. (My supah-speshul theory is that Sebastian is the love-child of Yoite from Nabari and Mukuro from Reborn, yes/yes?) The BL-undertones kinda killed me. OTL  
PS: Join me in my rambling/fangirling about various pairings and shows and anime and mangas! I update quite often on my **LJ** about the weekly episodes/chapters XD


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